ITV Plots Loch Ness Murder-Mystery Thriller

LONDON: ITV has commissioned a new six-part thriller, Loch Ness, from ITV Studios.

The shores of Scotland’s most iconic loch serve as the backdrop for the new six-part drama. The story centers on the search for a serial killer and the local detective who is trying to cope with her first murder case.

Laura Fraser (Houdini and Doyle, The Missing, Peter & Wendy), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Benidorm, Downton Abbey) and John Sessions (Upstart Crow, Florence Foster Jenkins, The Rack Pack) will star in leading roles. The project is being written by Stephen Brady (Fortitude, Vera, Silent Witness) and overseen by Tim Haines (Beowulf, Primeval, Sinbad), ITV Studios’s creative director for drama and executive producer. Loch Ness will be distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Haines commented: “Serial killers are monsters that lie beneath the surface of normal happy communities. Where better to hunt for one than in a place that has thrived off its own monster myth for centuries, Loch Ness.”

ITV’s controller of drama, Victoria Fea, added: “Loch Ness is a gripping, tightly plotted drama which focuses on how a serial killer terrifies a local community. Stephen Brady’s compelling scripts utilize the wilderness of Loch Ness perfectly.”

Natalie Usher, the director for the screen sector at Creative Scotland, said: “Creative Scotland is delighted to be working with ITV Studios on this thrilling murder mystery, set on the shores of Loch Ness. We can’t wait to see the results of the combined vision of writer Stephen Brady and directors Brian Kelly and Cilla Ware. The Production Growth Fund has allowed us to anchor another high-profile television production almost entirely in Scotland, further developing Scotland’s reputation as a key filming destination where productions can benefit from working with our world-class craft and technical talent.”